Health & WellnessS


Health

Researchers Recommend Pregnant Women Take 4,000 IU Vitamin D a Day


Science Daily
Mon, 03 May 2010 07:58 UTC
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© Unknown
Taking vitamin D supplements during pregnancy is not only safe for mother and baby, but also can prevent preterm labor/births and infections, according to results of a randomized controlled study to be presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

In the 1950s and '60s, people were concerned that vitamin D could cause birth defects, according to Carol L. Wagner, MD, lead author of the study and a pediatric researcher at Medical University of South Carolina. It now is known that vitamin D is important for maternal and infant health, including bone health and immune function.

Recent studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy is a serious public health issue.

"Diet doesn't provide enough vitamin D, and we don't go in the sun as much as we need," Dr. Wagner said
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Eat Brown Rice to Prevent High Blood Pressure, Lower Heart Attack Risk

S.L. Baker
NaturalNews
Mon, 03 May 2010 00:00 UTC
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© Getty Images
The rate of cardiovascular disease is much lower in Japan than in the U.S. and now scientists at the Cardiovascular Research Center and Department of Physiology at Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia think they know why. People in Japan eat rice virtually every day and rice -- especially the brown and only partially "polished" varieties -- contains a natural compound that appears to guard against high blood pressure and heart disease.

Brown rice is already well known as a healthy food choice because it's a good source of fiber, B vitamins and other nutrients. But new research just presented by Temple University researcher Satoru Eguchi at the American Physiological Society's Experimental Biology conference held in Anaheim, California, reveals another powerful health benefit. A specific natural compound found in a layer of tissue surrounding grains of brown rice inhibits an endocrine protein known as angiotensin II. In excess, angiotensin II can trigger serious cardiovascular problems.

This is enormously significant news because angiotensin II is a well documented culprit in the development of hypertension and atherosclerosis. Angiotensin II constricts arteries, increases blood pressure and forces the heart to work harder. It also thickens and stiffens the walls of the heart and blood vessels.
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Eco-Labels on Products are Often Just Lies

David Gutierrez
NaturalNews
Mon, 03 May 2010 00:00 UTC
In a recent feature, Mother Jones Magazine calls attention to the fact that many "green" or "socially responsible" claims made on product labels are meaningless or deceptive, even when accompanied by a certification seal.

Meaningless claims are those that allude to weak or nonexistent standards. For example, there is no process for certifying a product as "cruelty free," "hormone free," "no additives," "hypoallergenic," "green," "earth smart" or "nature's friend." This means that a piece of steak prominently labeled as "hormone free," "additive free," and "cruelty free" could contain food coloring and come from a cow that was only allowed to move when it was time for its hormone injection.

Other deceptive claims include "natural" -- which only means that a food does not contain artificial flavors, preservatives or other synthetic ingredients -- and "biodegradable," which only means that a product must be made from ingredients that "return to nature." "Nontoxic" products are certified to not cause poisoning if ingested, but may still be carcinogenic or cause other long-term health effects. "Fragrance free" products are those with no noticeable smell but may contain any number of chemicals, while "free range" poultry came from birds that had "access" to the outdoors for the majority of their lives. This does not mean that the animals ever saw the outside, and has no meaning at all if applied to eggs or meat from a mammal.
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Health

First Symptoms of Psychosis Evident in 12-Year-Olds, Study Suggests


Science Daily
Mon, 03 May 2010 07:46 UTC
Children normally experience flights of fancy, including imaginary friends and conversations with stuffed animals, but some of them are also having hallucinations and delusions which might be the early signs of psychosis.

A study of British 12-year-olds that asked whether they had ever seen things or heard voices that weren't really there, and then asked careful follow-up questions, has found that nearly 6 percent may be showing at least one definite symptom of psychosis.

The children who exhibited these symptoms had many of the same risk factors that are known to correlate with adult schizophrenia, including genetic, social, neurodevelopmental, home-rearing and behavioral risks.

"We don't want to be unduly alarmist, but this is also not something to dismiss," said co-author Terrie Moffitt, the Knut Schmidt Nielsen professor of psychology and neuroscience and psychiatry & behavioral sciences at Duke University. The study appears in the April issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.
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Family

Children Living With Relatives of Parents Struggle With Physical, Mental Health Issues, Study Suggests


Science Daily
Mon, 03 May 2010 07:36 UTC
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© UnknownDepression
It is well-known that children in foster care are at increased risk for physical and mental health problems. But what about kids who live with relatives other than their birth parents?

Children who live in "kinship care" often fly under the radar of child welfare agencies, and little research has been done on this group of children -- until now.

Sara B. Eleoff, MD, and her colleagues, used data from a 2007 national survey of more than 91,000 children to identify those living in kinship care and compare their health and family characteristics to children living with at least one birth parent. Dr. Eleoff presented their findings on May 2 at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

The researchers found that about 2.8 million children live with relatives, compared to about 800,000 in foster care. And like children in foster care, those in kinship care experience a multitude of health issues.
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Health

Organic cheaters exposed by public protest at health products trade show

Mike Adams
NaturalNews
Fri, 02 Apr 2010 19:13 UTC
The Organic Consumers Association has long fought against what it calls "organic cheater brands" -- personal care products that use the name "organic" in the product name or brand, yet are not truly organic products at all. This year at the Expo West Natural Products Expo in Anaheim, California, the OCA staged a very visible public protest to expose what it calls "sham-poo products" that are "organic cheaters."


The protest was part of the OCA's Coming Clean Campaign which continues to expose dishonest or misleading products in the skin care industry. Due in large part to the OCA's efforts, Whole Foods now says it will enforce honest labeling by taking a closer look at the word "organic" on personal care products.
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Children's Tylenol Recalled Over Tiny Particles and Out-of-Control Manufacturing Processes

Mike Adams
NaturalNews
Sun, 02 May 2010 12:00 UTC
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© NaturalNews
Johnson & Johnson has issued a recall of over 40 Tylenol brand children's products, including Concentrated Tylenol Infant Drops, Children's Motrin, Children's Zyrtec, Benadryl and other over-the-counter products. The recall was triggered by what the FDA calls "manufacturing deficiencies." Douglas Stearn, a senior FDA official, said the manufacturing process was "not in control", which is the FDA's polite way of saying it was "out of control."

A press release on the McNeil Consumer Healthcare web page explains the reason for recall:
"Some of the products included in the recall may contain a higher concentration of active ingredient than is specified; others may contain inactive ingredients that may not meet internal testing requirements; and others may contain tiny particles."
Tiny particles of what? That's left unsaid, but it is likely to be tiny particles of paint or metal from the machinery used to manufacture the products.
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Olive Oil Could Guard Against Developing Ulcerative Colitis


PhysOrg
Sun, 02 May 2010 13:30 UTC
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© Getty Images
Eating more olive oil could help prevent ulcerative colitis, according to a new study co-ordinated by medical researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA).

Presented today at the Digestive Disease Week conference in New Orleans, the findings show that people with a diet rich in oleic acid - which is present in olive oil -are far less likely to develop ulcerative colitis. Oleic acid is a monounsaturated fatty acid found in olive oil, peanut oil and grapeseed oil, as well as in butter and certain margarines.

The researchers, led by Dr Andrew Hart of UEA's School of Medicine, studied more than 25,000 people aged 40-65 living in Norfolk, UK. The volunteers were recruited to the EPIC study (European Prospective Investigation into Diet and Cancer) between 1993 and 1997. The participants, none of whom had ulcerative colitis at the outset, completed detailed food diaries which were later analysed by specially trained nutritionists working in Cambridge.
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Pills

The Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America

Bruce Levine
Counterpunch
Wed, 28 Apr 2010 14:33 UTC
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A Conversation with Robert Whitaker

In 1987, prior to Prozac hitting the market and the current ubiquitous use of antidepressants and other psychiatric drugs, the U.S. mental illness disability rate was 1 in every 184 Americans, but by 2007 the mental illness disability rate had more than doubled to 1 in every 76 Americans. Robert Whitaker was curious as to what was causing this dramatic increase in mental illness disability. The answers are in his new book, Anatomy of an Epidemic: Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs, and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America (Crown Publishers, April 2010).

Whitaker's findings will create a problem for both Big Pharma and establishment psychiatry, but his credentials and his craftsmanship will make it difficult to marginalize him.
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Fructose Fueling Childhood Obesity, Diabetes

David Gutierrez
NaturalNews
Sun, 02 May 2010 12:00 UTC
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© Getty Images
Widespread use of the sweetener fructose may be directly responsible for some of the ongoing increase in rates of childhood diabetes and obesity, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of California-Davis and published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Fructose is a sugar that naturally occurs in low amounts in fruits and vegetables, making up as much as 5 to 10 percent of any given fruit by weight. In 1971, however, scientists discovered a way to synthesize a cheap syrup composed of 55 percent fructose and 45 percent glucose. Because normal table sugar is composed of only 50 percent fructose and 50 percent glucose, the sweetener was dubbed "high fructose corn syrup" (HFCS) and quickly became the most popular sweetener in the U.S. food and beverage industry. HFCS is six times sweeter than sugar and costs only half as much.

Researchers put 16 volunteers on a controlled diet, supplemented with either fructose (derived from corn) or glucose. After 10 weeks, both groups of participants had gained equal amounts of weight. Participants in the fructose group, however, showed an increase of fat cells around major organs including their hearts and livers, and also underwent metabolic changes that are precursors to heart disease and diabetes.
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